The Tools Need Someone to Use Them

Pablo Picasso once said, "Computers are useless. They can only give you answers."

Granted, Picasso (who died in 1973) made this statement at a time when most computers were sophisticated calculators or analog machines used by corporations, universities, research labs, and military intelligence. This was before personal computers, before Apple, before graphical user interface, before 99.99% of humans knew what the "Internet" was, before MS-DOS, before the World Wide Web, before the dot-com bubble, before Web 2.0, before Adobe Photoshop and digital video and social media and Google and online news channels and - gasp! - blogs.

But even despite Picasso's assumed ignorance of the world of functionality that computers would one day offer, he makes a worthy point. Computers are tools. The Internet is a tool. Social media is a tool. Tools are useless until they are put into the hands of somebody who will use them.

Computers (software, networks, Internet, and other technology included) can provide you with information. Worthwhile information - about news, sports, politics, events, entertainment, products, services, advice, companies, customers, supply and demand, what customers want, how people live. They can connect you to people. Create channels of communication. Give you eyes, ears, and a voice to the rest of the world.

But computers can't make decisions for you. The entire Adobe Creative Suite can't create brilliantly designed marketing materials for you. The Internet and email and blogs can't build your brand for you. Social media can't generate followers for you.

You are the human. You are the one who has been designed to create. You are the one who generates ideas. You are the one who builds relationships. You are the one with the responsibility to add value to the world.

So use your tools. They are no good without you, the driver and creator and inventor and communicator and painter.

Why no eBooks?

The New York Times, among other journals and blogs, recently published a comparison of the new Barnes & Noble eBook store and Amazon's Kindle eBook store. The review noted pros and cons on both sides: Barnes & Noble's eBooks are compatible with the iPhone, Blackberry, Mac, and PC, but it has no Kindle-like digital reader yet; Barnes & Noble has 700,000 eBooks, compared to Amazon's 300,000; but 500,000 of Barnes & Noble's eBooks are free out-of-copyright books from Google, which can be read on the Kindle anyway; most of Amazon's eBooks are less expensive than the same eBooks from Barnes & Noble; and so on.

I won't get into a discussion of Barnes & Noble vs. Amazon's Kindle in this blog; you can find enough commentary on that by doing a Google search. The New York Times video commentary by David Pogue is available here; to read a written version of Pogue's review, click here.

One observation made by Pogue in his review aroused my curiosity, though. He noted that many popular books are missing from the eBook stores of both Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Among the non-existent eBooks named by Pogue are Joseph Heller's Catch-22, Anthony Burgess'A Clockwork Orange, the Harry Potter series, and any works by John Grisham.

These books and others are unavailable because their authors and/or publishers choose not to release them electronically.

Why would some authors and publishers choose not to release eBook versions of their work?

Do they believe that eBooks are less profitable than print versions? I don't understand that reasoning. An eBook does not carry the variable costs associated with the paper, ink, and set-up of a printed publication; also, given the varying prices of the currently available eBooks, it would seem that authors and publishers could set eBook prices to generate quite a handsome profit.

Do they believe that eBooks will cheapen the value of good, old-fashioned paper books? That makes no sense. While eBooks may be convenient for travel, I personally enjoy the comfort of the smell and feel of a paper book in my hand. I would think that many other readers do, too. Even if they didn't, authors should present their work in the format that best suits their readers. If readers prefer electronic over paper versions, then give them eBooks.

Do they believe that their works are so popular that they don't need to sell electronic versions? I don't see the logic in that attitude either. Purveyors of ideas become successful when their ideas spread, not when they are limited. The marketplace of ideas is an economy of abundance, not an economy of scarcity. Thus, books (that is, the actual words and ideas, not the paper or bits upon which they are written) become more valuable as they become more plentiful, not as they become more scarce.

I am at a loss for other possible explanations for the refusal to release electronic versions of printed books. I do hope that these authors and publishers will listen to their readers and provide these eBooks soon.

Your Neighbor vs. The World

Sometimes we're so busy saving the world that we forget to help the guy next door.

This fact was brought to my mind on Saturday as I tried to do some research for this blog. I intended to gather information so that I could write my final post for last week. (I try to post every weekday; last week I had missed Friday, and needed to catch up.) And so, on two separate occasions on Saturday, I took my laptop to a quiet, studious place in order to write my belated post and start thinking about some posts for this week.

On both occasions, as I headed to my quiet spot, I encountered friends who needed my assistance - one with moving into her new apartment; one with talking through a difficult situation. This posed an interesting dilemma: do I act responsibly and complete my over-due research so that I may be faithful to my readers? or do I help my friends with their needs?

I chose to help my friends. A few years ago, I would not have done so. I hope that my readers will forgive me.

It's the old Good Samaritan story. We aspire to act like the Samaritan, who stopped to help a stranger in need. But how often are we more like the priest and the Levite who went before the Samaritan? Both of these men were so busy serving in the temple that they could not find time to serve a person who was truly in need.

Do we do this in our companies? Do we donate a large percentage of our profits to charity, but refuse to support fundraisers for the local Boy Scout troop or football boosters? Do we send volunteers to help dig wells in Africa, but forget to give time to help clean up the community park? Do we brag about how our products improve the lives of our customers, but treat our own employees with lack of respect and appreciation?

Continue to change the world. But start in your own backyard.

Can Art on a Billboard Still Be Called Art?

Palisades Car Insurance is making an apparent effort to beautify the highways of New Jersey, its home state. How? Not through the Adopt-A-Highway program. Not by planting trees and shrubs. No, Palisades is making its contribution to society by displaying art - fine art - on billboards.

The campaign, which began on July 13, is called "Drive With a Smile," from the company known as "The Nice New Jersey Car Insurance Company." According to a recent New York Post article, the goal of the campaign is three-fold: 1) to give drivers something pleasant to view while stuck in traffic; 2) to showcase the work of local New Jersey artists; and 3) to promote the scenic locations of New Jersey. The first two billboards are already on display (see photos below); the art for the remaining billboards will be selected by online vote from New Jersey scenes submitted by local artists. Art submissions, viewing, and voting takes place at drivewithasmile.palisades.com




The question on the table is this: can art on a billboard still be considered art? If a billboard displays a painting, can it still be seen as an eyesore? Or does the painting succeed in beautifying the signage?

I think that Palisades' campaign sounds like a great thing - it sounds like a community service, turning the highway into an art gallery. Beautifying the road. Benefiting society. But, based on the photos above, it seems that Palisades only made a half-hearted effort at their corporate social responsibility.

With the Palisades logo and "Got a Nice Piece?" tagline taking up so much space, it seems that drivers would hardly be able to get a good look at the art. The view seems comparable to looking at a thumbnail of a photo online, without having the luxury of opening the full-size version. Or, if the highway were an art gallery, visitors would be examining an 8" x 10" painting from across the entire length of the room.

I agree with mep's comments on the subject from a discussion on ArtBistro.com: "if you are going to put a landscape painting on a billboard then make the whole 'canvas' just that." Palisades ought to relax their ego and remove the logo and tagline. Let the art fill the entire billboard. Let the billboard truly be art, and truly bring joy to drivers. They ought to build the Palisades brand through the free publicity Palisades would get (both through news channels and through viral marketing), not with a logo that crowds out the art and ruins the effort.

If Palisades simply cannot bear to post a billboard without the Palisades logo, they could place the logo in a corner of the full-sized art. Or, better yet, simply print the website URL, drivewithasmile.palisades.com, along the bottom of the art.

Palisades is almost-but-not-quite there on corporate social responsibility and viral marketing. Hopefully they will change the layout before they post the remaining billboards.

Good customer service, courtesy of USPS

Today I stopped at my downtown post office to check the mail in my P.O. box. I entered my combination (correctly - I made sure of that), but the door would not open. Drat. This happened to me last time, too. Now I would have to ask for help at the window.

And so, woefully, I took my place in line. I dreaded the interminably long wait, the imminent skepticism of the postal worker (who would surely think that I simply entered the wrong combination), and the inconvenient solution to my problem (would they be able to fix the mechanism? would I have to switch to another box and change my address?).

To my surprise, my dread was unfounded. (Except for the long wait - but even that wasn't too bad. I still had time left on the parking meter when I emerged.) When my turn came, I explained the situation to the postal worker, Sheryl. She listened (without any annoyed looks), asked me some questions (How long have you had this problem? Has your box ever opened properly? What is the box number?), slipped to the back to check my box, returned promptly, delivered my mail to me, reported her findings (the mechanism is missing a screw), and told me the solution (it should be a quick fix; I just have to find the right screw; it should be fixed by this afternoon). Then she told me what to do if I encountered this problem again (next time you come in, if it still isn't working, don't bother standing in line. Just slip up to the counter and talk to me.)

I left the post office feeling pleased and delighted with the U.S. Postal Service.

This is what Sheryl did to give me a great customer service experience:

- She listened.
- She did not treat me as if I were ignorant or mistaken.
- She did not scowl, frown, or grimace (although I didn't quite get a smile from her either).
- She asked me for the information she needed to solve my problem.
- She dealt with the problem quickly.
- She investigated the problem herself, and returned with an answer (and my mail).
- She communicated to me the source of the problem, and its solution.
- She made me feel as if I had preferential treatment ("skip line if this happens again")
- She made me feel as if I had an inside connection through her ("I'll fix it"; "come talk to me next time")

Do you handle your customer's problems with this kind of courtesy, connection, and efficiency? You probably do, but we all need reminders from time to time.

Accept this reminder, courtesy of Sheryl. And don't forget to smile!

DQ: One simple sign, one brilliant marketing tactic

When I see great marketing, I must give credit where credit is due. Today, I give credit to, of all places, my local Dairy Queen.

This haven of frozen-treat goodness has a long way to go on the customer experience side of things. While Dairy Queen serves good food (or at least good soft serve), I am often hesitant to visit my local DQ. The store, despite a recent facelift, always seems a little dingy to me. And ordering hot food there sets the buyer up for an unreasonably long wait. (I only made that mistake twice.)

Oh, but do I love DQ's Blizzards.

And this particular local Dairy Queen uses one simple tool to continually remind me of my love for their heavenly blend of soft serve and toppings: a sign. A simple marquee in front of their building.

The marquee only ever announces one thing: the Blizzard of the Month. I have to pass by it every day on my way to and from town. The marquee reminds me of my craving.

You see, this Blizzard of the Month is an ingenious thing. It's really nothing special; each month's flavor is really available all the time. And the Blizzard of the Month costs exactly the same price as every other flavor that month. But the mere fact that I read, say, "Caramel Brownie Sundae" as the Blizzard of the Month on that little marquee, stirs something in my mind. "Mmm. That sounds good. I want to try that," I think to myself. And I begin to think of ways that I can rationalize buying myself a Blizzard.

The crazy thing is that if "Caramel Brownie Sundae" were not featured on that marquee, I wouldn't even consider it if I walked into a Dairy Queen of my own volition to buy a Blizzard. Instead I would go with one of my two favorites: Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough or Strawberry Cheesequake. But because "Caramel Brownie Sundae" is the Blizzard of the Month, I want to try it.

Coffee shops do the same thing - they will feature a "Raspberry White Chocolate Mocha" or a "Pumpkin Spice Latte" as a special seasonal drink. But really, a person can order those drinks any time of the year, and at no difference in price. Yet seeing that flavor as a featured pick stirs something in our psyche, and we want to try it.

Can you use this to help your business? Can your company feature a different product every month? week? day? You don't even necessarily have to create any special variations or discounts or promotions. Just draw attention to something of value that you already offer. Maybe a little sign is all you need.

Lame Excuses for Being Boring - #4

To continue this series, which started in June, here is excuse #4:

"If we become more innovative, we'll become too advanced and too expensive for our strategic partners."

I have two responses to this lame excuse:

1) Who do you want to be your strategic partners? Are your current partners doing things to improve quality of life and to make the world a better place? Are they continually raising the bar? (And no, I am not referring to their cellular service.)

Or are your partners just maintaining the status quo?

If the former, your partners are innovating. And you will serve them best if you innovate, too.

If the latter, do you really want to be doing business with them?


2) Innovation does not necessarily equate to increases in price. If low cost is important to your brand, to your partners, and to customers, then be innovative at providing the greatest value while cutting unnecessary costs.